Bookkeeper s posting-guide



-(No Model.

B. H. WINTERMUTE, Jr.

BOOKKEEPERS POSTING GUIDE.

No. 569,478. Patented Oct. 13, 1896 WITNESSES: INVENTOR g2? 08 BYATTY'S.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDIVIN H. IVINTERHUTE, JR, OF NEWARK, NEIV JERSEY.

BOOKKEEPERS POSTING-GUIDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,478, dated October13, 1896.

Application filed November 9, 1895. Serial No. 568,444. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. WINTEEMUTE, J r., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BookkeepersPosting-Guides; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to facilitate the operation of postingaccounts in book keeping and to secure greater correctness in saidoperation; and the invention consists in the improved posting-guide andin the arrangements and combinations of parts, all substantially as willbe hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of theclaim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters indicatecorresponding parts in each of the views, Figure 1 is a side elevation,and Fig. 2 is a plan, of the device. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail takenat line ac.

In said drawings, a indicates an ordinary paper-clamp of any suitableconstruction, having broad clamping-jaws a a, a spring 0 adapted to holdsaid jaws normally together to clamp the sheets of paper and to holdthem together in place, and finger pieces or parts a' by which said jawsmay be easily and conveniently forced apart to release said jaws fromholding or binding contact with said papers. To the upper face of theupper jaw are attached hinge or pivotal bearings a" for a long angularrod 1), the said rod being hinged or pivoted upon said bearings so as tovertically oscillate thereon.

0 indicates a transverse extensible guidebar which slides on said rod1), said bar being provided with means, such as the perforated flange cand springs d d, for holding said bar at right angles or approximatelyat right angles with said rod and yet admitting of a free and easysliding of said bar on said rod.

In the construction shown and preferred I make the bar 0 in sections,one of which is provided with turned longitudinal edges, forming ways 0c", in or on which the other section slides. By drawing one section fromthe other the bar may be extended to suit the lines of any ordinarylarge-sized accountbook, or by pushing the sections together the saidsections will be made to correspond with the width of smaller books. Theperforated flange c, forming a part of the bar 0, is soldered orotherwise rigidly fixed at or near the longitudinal center of thesection or member of said bar which is arranged in the ways 0 c" andwhich overlies the body portion of the member having said ways. At oneside of said flange the latter carries the opposing springs (Z (Z, whichpress against the opposite sides of the rod 7) at a little distanceforward from said flange, where it is perforated and receives the rod1). I prefer to form at the perforation for the rod an angular tube f,which provides bearings for said rod 1), said tube closely engaging saidrod b and serving to prevent oscillatory motion or looseness of the bar0 on said rod, confining said bar 0 to a straight and regular slidingmotion. The flange 0' serves as a finger-piece, by which the bar may bedrawn down from or pushed upon toward the clamp.

In operating the device the bookkeeper attaches the clamp to the top ofthe page, so as to hold the device securely in position, the clamppreferably grasping a dozen or more leaves at a time to obtain arigidity best adapted to admit of a manipulation of the bar on its rodby the hand. The broad jaws, being considerably wider than the rod 1),compress the leaves, so that the said bar is held firmly against anytendency to lateral displacement, notwithstanding the fact that saidjaws do not extend but a very limited distance down the page. The clampbeing fixed, the rod 5, which is not intended to serve in clamping,projects beyond the broad clamping-jaws and extends down the center ofthe page and holds the bar 0 in a direction parallel with the lines onsaid page. As the postings are being made the bookkeeper forces the bardownward from line to line or otherwise moves it as he may desire, saidbar sliding on the rod, and being held by the springs and perforatedflange in the proper parallel relation to the lines of the page. Saidbar guides the eye of the bookkeeper from one side of the page to theother, so that errors due to misapplying the figures of one line ofentry to another line will be avoided. Should the rod cover a figure orword, so as to cover or obscure the same, said rod may be raised on itsforward pivot by the hand to bring the figure or word into view.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. Incombination with the spring-controlled clamping-jaws, of the rod 1), andextensible bar 0, arranged and sliding thereon, substantially as setforth.

2. In combination with the spring-controlled clamping-jaws, of thepivoted rod and sliding bar, all arranged and combined, substantially asset forth.

3. In combination with the spring-controlled clamping-jaws, of the rodpivoted upon the upper face of one of said jaws, and adapted to extenddownward therefrom over the center of the page, and an extensibleguide-bar centrally perforated to receive said rod, and means forholding said bar and rod in sliding relation, substantially as setforth.

4:. The improved posting-guide for bookkeepers, the same comprising aclamp, a rod b, pivoted to one of the jaws of said clamp, and adapted toextend down over and lengthwise of the page, and a bar 0 adapted toextend parallel with the lines of the page, on

opposite sides of said rod, and be drawn down from line to line,substantially as set forth.

5. The improved posting-guide for bookkeepers, the same comprising aclamp, a rod (2, pivoted to one of the jaws of said clamp, and a bar 0,having a flange c, angular tube f, and opposing springs cl, d, allarranged and combined, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with spring-actuated jaws a,-a', adapted to grasp thetop of the leaves of a book and present broad clamping surfaces thereto,of a rod b,-secured to one of said jaws and projecting beyond said broadclamping-surfaces so as to extend down over the central part of theuppermost leaf, and a sliding transverse bar, carried by said rod,substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with the clamp, comprising broad jaws a, a, a springnormally closing said jaws and finger parts for opening said jawsagainst the power of the spring when said finger parts are pressedtogether, of a rod 5, and transverse guiding-bar c, all arranged andoperating, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this2d day of November, 1895.

EDWVIN H. WIN TERMUTE, JR.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES H; PELL, C. B. PITNEY.

